All The Little Things
by The Knight of Thirteen
Summary: After the war, life goes on. A series of little scenes from the lives of various pairs set in the years after the Thousand Year Blood War.
1. Nanao x Shunsui

"Captain? I brought you dinner." Lieutenant Ise Nanao looked at the man with concern for a moment before approaching him and setting down a tray of food. She looked at the drawn blinds, blocking out any trace of the evening sun, and the piles of paper setting in neat stacks around the desk and floor.

"Nanao? Dinner must have been hours ago, why are you still up? Missing one meal won't be the end of me, although I appreciate your concern." Shunsui yawned and picked up the cup of tea, drinking half of it quickly before returning to his work.

"Dinner just ended... You missed last night as well. You didn't sleep, did you? You've been working all night and day..." The woman sat in the chair across the desk and took hold of her captain's hand to stop him from working. "What's gotten in to you? I could understand it during the war, but you have hardly taken a day off in the last year of peace..."

"It's been a year since the war ended, and I am still filling out death certificates for those lost. Medals and awards for the divisions and families of our soldiers, aid to the civilians of the Rukongai, whatever help we can give to the world of the living and Hueco Mundo... It feels like it is never ending." He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "What can I do, Nanao? The old man left me in charge... I have to do my duty as Captain-Commander."

"But you can lean on me, like you always did before. You don't have to shoulder everything yourself. I was so amazed when you took your roll as his successor seriously, but it's not healthy for you to take it this far. I'm worried about you." Nanao sat her book down next to the tray.

"I loved how impressed you were when I started handling everything myself." Shunsui chuckled quietly. "I guess I liked it so much I wanted to handle everything myself so that I could keep seeing that look in your eyes. And... I can't fail in this position. If I do not live up to the expectations set upon me, the Central 46 will demand Juushiro take my place..."

"A lot of people think he would have been the better choice, even with his illness. I know you hate this position... Why are you so determined to keep it?"

"Because I have to do horrible things." He looks up at her and she can see the dark circles under his eyes. "I don't want my best friend to ever have to do this job... It would break his heart. My first act as Captain-Commander was to send Captain Unohana to her death. Did you know that he was in love with her once? When someone has spent so many centuries caring for you, it is hard not to care about them in return, I suppose. But he never told her. He's fallen in love half a dozen times since I met him, and he's never said a word."

"Never?"

"Never. He wants nothing more than to have children of his own and live in peace, but he thinks that he has no right to be happy with someone when he could drop dead at any moment and leave his family alone. So he shepherds the youngest Shinigami like they are his children. He teaches them and protects them all he can. And he denies himself the happiness that he deserves more than anyone else I have ever met. If I can save him from any amount of suffering by taking it on myself, that is an easy choice to make."

"Then let me share it. Let me take on half the work, at least. You have to sleep, you have to eat, and you have to see the sun." Nanao pulled the pen from his hand and then takes the next paper from the stack. "Eat your dinner, then go to bed."

"Nanao..."

"No arguments, Captain. Why can't you do anything in moderation? You either drink and sleep all the time, or work night and day. You go from chasing skirts to ignoring me all together. It's not healthy to keep jumping from one extreme to another."

"Are you saying you miss me flirting with you, my dear Nanao?"

"I... Didn't _say_ that." She blushed slightly and adjusted her glasses, refusing to look up at her captain.

"No, I suppose you didn't." Shunsui ate in silence for a few minutes, going so far as to crack one of the blinds, wincing at the brilliant sunset. "How long did you say I had been in here?"

"Since after lunch yesterday, Sir." Nanao smiled as she set the paper aside and moved to another. "A good night's rest and you can start keeping a regular schedule tomorrow. I can write one up for you. I know this all needs done, but you have to do it at a pace you can maintain."

"I suppose I owe you an apology for worrying you. I'd be lost without you, you know."

"I know. Now go to bed."

"You need your rest as well."

"If I leave, you'll get up and work more."

"Then stay."

"I am." Nanao looked up at her captain, then blushed brighter. "I mean... What do you mean?"

"Stay with me." Shunsui leaned in the doorway, his hat in his hand. "You need sleep, and you don't trust me to sleep without you here, so it is the only logical solution."

"You took it to heart, me missing your flirting..." She tried to redirect his attention, but he just shook his head. "Sir, even if half the divisions don't obey them, there _are_ fraternization rules."

"I really should do something about those..." Shunsui frowns, making a face of deep consideration. "I could change them so they only take effect if the captain of direct superior of one of the fraternizers has a complaint about it affecting their ability to do their work..."

"Captain... You have enough trouble taking things in moderation as it is... Why should I believe that I would be any different?"

"Because you have always been able to keep me in line. And you would be there with me the whole time, so you could knock me in the head if I mess up." The man sighed and shook his head. "Because I think I've been in love with you for a while now, and I was afraid that if I let myself be happy, Juushiro would hate me, and he told me if I didn't man up and ask you, he was going to stop speaking to me. He said I was insulting him by not taking advantage of the opportunity he didn't have."

"I can see why he would be mad about that... How long?"

"Twenty years or so... About ten years after I appointed you my Lieutenant. Spending so much time with you at my side, I guess it got to be more than just comfortable for me." Shunsui shrugged. "I imagined this going a lot worse or a lot better in my head."

"You mean you thought I would slap you or jump into your arms, not talk about it like a rational person?" Nanao smirked and raised an eyebrow. The man could be so absurd sometimes. She watched him for a moment, then her gaze softened. "I fell in love with you long before you appointed me your lieutenant. I was so mad at you for so long after Lisa's disappearance, I couldn't imagine ever seeing you as more than the enemy. I worked so hard so that I could be promoted to another division, but the more missions I followed you on, the more I respected you. When I finally got offered another position... I turned it down."

"I never knew you were offered another position. What division?"

"The Thirteenth." Nanao giggled at the look her captain gave her. "Captain Ukitake knew I was the youngest in the division, and that I worked harder than three people combined, so he offered me his third seat, before Sentaro and Kiyone took it."

"I am going to have to have a word with him..."

"He was so happy when I turned him down." Nanao stood up and sat aside the paperwork. "Alright, Shunsui. It's time for bed. And as you said, the only way I can be sure you don't get up is if I am there with you."

"Do you really mean that, Nanao?" Shunsui smiled when she pressed herself into his arms and leaned against his chest. "Just shut up. You are going to say something stupid and I want to go at least one day without regretting this decision."

"As you wish, my dear Nanao."


	2. Soifon x Yoruichi

"Five more minutes." Yoruichi rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head.

"Absolutely not. I have kept them on a flawless schedule for a century, you are _not_ sleeping in on your first day back in their command!" Soifon growled, yanking the blanket off of her partner's sleeping form. It was a testament to her self control that she didn't blush or bat an eye at the shapeshifter's naked body. "Up!"

"Awww... You're no fun, Little Bee..." The goddess of flash reluctantly sits up, yawning and dragging her fingers through her messy hair. "I remember this being the thing I hated most about being in charge..."

"It is necessary." The small woman sighed and tossed a backless uniform to her lover. "We want them running away from you, not toward you. You'll have to get dressed."

"Are you sure you wouldn't just be jealous of them looking at me?" Yoruichi gave her partner a teasing grin as she stood and stretched, slipping elegantly into the uniform. "I thought of a new approach to training that might raise moral, and get us more involved with the trainees."

"Explain." Soifon crossed her arms and watched the older woman dress.

"Well, do you remember some of the games we played when I was teaching you? It turns out they play similar versions in the human world. I've been thinking about a way to revise one of the games for training purposes, and I think I have it."

"You are avoiding the question."

"It's really hard to surprise you when you are so cleaver, Little Bee..."

"Flattery won't get you out of this." The Captain of the Second Division was not one to be distracted from her line of questioning, and so, Yoruichi had no choice. With a flash of her legendary speed, she brushed a kiss across Soifon's lips and was out the door.

"Wha..." Soifon blinked and looked down at the uniform that lay empty on the floor. "_GET BACK HERE!_"

When Soifon arrived at the training grounds, a black cat with a cocky smirk was addressing the Stealth Force.

"The task is pretty simple. You will divide into two teams, based on your identification number. Even numbers on one side, odd numbers on the other. Lieutenant Omeada will lead the odd team, and Third Seat Saido will lead the even team. The goal of the game is simple. Each team will be assigned a target to protect, which the other team must launch a covert assault on. I will be the target of the odd team and the even team will be responsible for ensuring I am not successfully compromised. Captain Feng will be my counterpart for the other team. We will both be wearing a red scarf. Your goal is to take the target's scarf and return it to your leader first. You have one hour to organize your teams, and then the game will begin. There is no safe zone. There are no breaks. We will not make it easy for you to protect us, or to take our scarves. The losing team will subject to Captain Feng's personal brand of hell, while the winning team will earn one full day off. If neither team wins by sunset, both teams get hell. Good luck!"

The chaos was immediate. Yoruichi leaped up on to her partner's shoulder and rubbed against her cheek, purring.

"I admit, it is an interesting game. You do intend to play in human form, don't you? And the scarf will not be the _only_ thing you are wearing?"

"Silly Little Bee, of course I plan to play fairly. I never cheat when I get to make up the rules."

The game began an hour later, with the entirety of the Second Division and Stealth Force scattering across the Seireitei in search of target or subject. Soifon and Yoruichi used every trick they knew to hide and occasionally strike.

"You've been eliminated. Not a word to your teammates or opponents. You also have to watch your backs." Soifon grinned as she lay the edge of a training blade along the man's neck gently. She had suggested the addition of the secret challenge after they left the training field, and she immediately accepted the change.

By lunch time, everyone knew that there was a game underway among the Second Division. Those foolish enough to pause for a break were quickly picked off by the opposing target. Yoruichi took several close calls to eliminate members of the enemy team in sight of her own team, causing them to gasp, giving away their positions and rapidly calling down their own demise.

By dinner time, it was being called the Reckless Treasure Game. You had to protect a valuable asset that insisted on endangering itself. Soifon narrowed her eyes at her friend when she realized that the game was based off of their former struggle of protecting Ichigo from Aizen's hypnosis when the young man wanted nothing more than to rush into his enemies teeth.

The sun was setting and all the members of the division were getting desperate. Soifon and Yoruichi were sitting side by side in the shadow of the division entry way, breathing silently, their spiritual pressure crushed down to nearly nothing. A flicker of movement caught the captain's eye.

_Think we should give them till the sun begins to set, or until it is completely set?_ Yoruichi raised an eyebrow after a series of subtle motions. If her friend had not committed every twitch of every finger to memory, the message would have been lost to the shadows.

_Till is is set completely. But we should tell them it is over when it begins. If any of them have the balls to snatch our scarves while we are addressing them, they can have their victory._ Soifon grinned at the shapeshifter and let her hands fall back to a ready stance.

The time came and they stood at the head of the training area, waiting as the teams assembled. The last stragglers piled in and Soifon began.

"Dreadful. That was a shameful display. From now on, we will be playing this game every other day. The reward or punishment of the games will be redeemed the following day. Until further notice, there will be no other vacation days allowed. You will win your days off, or you will get better. For now, expect tomorrow to be the worst day of your liv... Yoruichi?" Soifon stared in open mouthed shock at her friend, who was dangling the captain's scarf from her fingertips and smirking. "You... Damn. Even team, you are off the hook for tomorrow. Don't expect that trick to work again!"

Yoruichi could only laugh as half the division broke in to cheers.

"One last announcement! The rules are subject to our changes at the beginning of each game! Exploit what you can, when you can, but don't expect to get away with it twice!" The goddess of flash hung the two scarves over a nail and then took her partner's hands. "Get some sleep tonight, odd team. You're gonna need it!"

When they were safely behind locked doors, Soifon allowed herself to smile.

"I should have expected you to do that."

"Yeah, you should have. But I knew I could get away with it once. My team will be confident, and your team will be trying three times as hard, and you'll win the next game. It will set the program off to a good start, alternating wins. It will keep them excited, if they know anyone can win."

"You're right. It was a good strategy. I can see why you were such a successful captain, and such a good teacher."

"Now who's flattering who?"


	3. Shinji x Hiyori

"You have to be kiddin' me..." Shinji gave the paper a distasteful look, then glanced up at the short woman who was glaring down at him. "You are inviting Captain Kurotsuchi?"

"He said I would never find someone who could put up with me. His invitation is my way of rubbing it in his face that he was wrong and I was right. It is good for his ego to get knocked down from time to time." Hiyori said shortly. "Besides, he won't show up. I told Urahara that he had to come looking like a human, no makeup, no hat."

"Oh, alright then. That's not going to happen, so no issue. The rest... I guess that covers most of my list too. Are you sure about having the Eleventh there?"

"Well... No, but Ichigo is coming, and that means his dad is coming, and that guy is nuts, so he is bringing most of his seated officers from the fourth, and Isane is dating Ikkaku, and Ikkaku won't come without half his division tagging along. If you think you can break that chain anywhere, go for it, but I'm not scraping you off of anything."

"Fair enough... We were gonna have to bring extra booze for the First Division anyway." Shinji set down the invitation list and gave his partner a soft smile. "It's really gonna happen, huh?"

"Yeah... Seems like we've been edging around it for a century. Oh wait..." Hiyori smirked and sat on the desk, crossing her legs and systematically rearranging every item around her out of its proper order. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"

"None. I will admit, I'm nervous, though." The blonde man looked around his office. "I might be the first captain in history to marry someone who's not officially a member of the Gotei 13 or a noble family... Think the Central 46 is going to get word of it an' throw a fit?"

"Would you let them stop us?"

"No. That's a stupid question." He picked up a heavy cup from his desk and closed one eye, sizing up the wall at the corner of the room before throwing the cup hard. It made a hollow thump, and a few seconds later, there was a sharp knocking on the door.

"Captain? Is everything okay?" Lieutenant Momo Hinamori cracked open the door, having learned a long time ago that if she couldn't see Hiyori somewhere else in the division, there was a strong chance she was with the captain.

"Oh, Hinamori. I just dropped something, but since you are here, could you deliver this to the Ninth Division to print and distribute?" Shinji gave his most winning smile and held up the list of names.

"Of course, Sir!" Momo took the paper and was out the door in an instant.

"That was a blatant abuse of power. Using a subordinate for your personal errands. You should be ashamed." Hiyori laughed and then smiled at her fiance. "I'm nervous too. I keep thinking about you in the hospital after the war... If we had been... _Together_ then, I don't know if I could have handled it. Do you think it will get easier or harder to watch each other risk our lives?"

"I think it will be easier, if we don't have anything left unsaid between us. But we'll probably die together. I'm always going to be there to watch your back, and I doubt I'll be able to get you to stay home if I am going in to battle."

"You got that right, Baldy!" Hiyori leaped off the desk and grabbed her uniform. "I'm going to go give your subordinates some training. Hope the Eleventh isn't training today, or the Fourth is gonna be overworked tonight."

"I wondered why I kept getting dirty looks from Captain Kurosaki..."

"It's good for them! If they can't hold their own against a Visored, what good are they?"

"You are stronger than anything they are ever likely to face, you know. That is like belittling you for not beating Ichigo."

"No, cause beating Ichigo is actually impossible. These guys just aren't trying hard enough!" Hiyori grabbed her Zanpakuto from the hook by the door after she was dressed and hung it over her shoulder. "I'll meet you over at the Eighth when I'm done. We're having dinner there tonight."

"Did they invite us, or did you just invite us?"

"Are you saying no, either way?" Hiyori held a threatening flip flop in her fist.

"No..." Shinji sighed and shrank back in his chair. He had made it a week without a shoe mark on his face, and he planned to make it to the wedding that way.

"Good answer."


	4. Ichigo x Rukia

"Oh, stop worrying, Ichigo! This isn't half as risky as it is in the living world! Besides, my third daughter is far too tough to be beaten by something like this!" Isshin Kurosaki slapped his son on the back and then turning to his Lieutenant. "Isane, come out and get us when it is time, I need to have a word with my idiot boy!"

"Yes, Captain Kurosaki." The tall, silver haired woman began directing the healers as Isshin dragged the orange haired hero out of the room.

"What are you doing?! I need to be in there with her!" Ichigo tried to pull away, but he found his father's grip stronger than he had expected. "What's wrong?"

"I was terrified when you were born, Ichigo. I was a Shinigami in a gigai. Your mother was a living human with Quincy blood and a chained inner hollow. And to tell you the truth, I only knew about the potential horrors of child birth gone wrong from books and movies. I was a clinic doctor, so it was something I always referred to Ryuken. When it came time for her to have you, I was so scared I was going to lose you both that I couldn't be in the room with her." Isshin kicked the ground as he looked up at the sky. "I was more mad at myself than she was."

"What about when Karin and Yuzu were born?" Ichigo had stopped struggling and was now standing side by side with his father.

"I made myself stay by her side every minute. She nearly broke my hand holding on so tight, but the doctors knew what they were doing. Everything went smoothly. That's not to say it wasn't one of the most stressful days of my life, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Being able to see her face light up when the baby is placed in her arms and all the pain suddenly becomes worth it is something you will treasure for the rest of your life."

"I'm scared, Dad." Ichigo laughed for a moment. "Jeez, people are going to think we're related."

"What a tragedy that would be!" Isshin grinned and shook his head. "Take a deep breath. Everything is going to be fine. You are going to be a father when you go to bed tonight. That is something you aren't prepared for, and never will be. And it is not something that you will ever stop being. No matter what happens. Once you hold that child for the first time, they will never leave your heart. You want to be able to say you kept your head and your lunch today."

"You do give some good advice from time to time."

"Damn right I do. Now get in there. She'll be back on her feet in minutes with my healers on the job. You won't get away without an ass kicking if you miss it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going! Hands off, Goat Chin!" Ichigo brushed off the guiding hand with a cocky grin. "Thanks, Dad. I needed that."

"Anytime."

"Ichigo! Get in here _now_!" Rukia's voice signalled the end to their talk, drawing Ichigo through the door in a buzz of Sonido.

"I'm here, Rukia." Ichigo knelt by the bed, holding her hand and giving her a reassuring smile. He closed his eyes in irritation for a moment, then opened them and sighed. "So is Zangetsu. He says he wouldn't miss the birth of the Prince or Princess for anything."

"Good. Shirayuki would have been pissed if he had slept through this." Rukia gave a weak smile and then winced. "Next time it is your turn..."

"I'd say sure, but I'm afraid the Twelfth would find a way to make me regret it."

"I'm gonna have a word with them about that..."

"Every guy who's ever lived will want your head."

"And every woman who's ever given birth will die to protect me..."

"Fair point." Ichigo looked up at the silver haired Lieutenant. "Hey, Isane, is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, it's going very well. I would say less than an hour. Don't worry, I've done this before a couple of times. Captain Unohana made sure I had experience in a bit of everything before she made me Lieutenant."

An hour later, Ichigo's son was sleeping calmly in his mother's arms. As Isshin had promised, the healers had her on her feet in minutes.

"He's beautiful..." Rukia traced the baby's fingers and ears gently, careful not to wake him. "Ichigo... I think it is time we ask."

"Yeah... Let's go." Ichigo lifted the child gently from her arms and took off at a leisurely flash step toward the Rukongai.

They arrived at a large and flashy building that they knew well, although they had never been to this particular one. They didn't make it to the door before it opened in front of them.

"I thought I might be seeing the two of you today. Come on in! Stay for a drink!" Kukakku waved to her cousin and his wife.

"We can't stay, but we needed to speak to you... We wanted to ask for your permission and blessing to name our son after your brother, Kaien." Rukia bowed her head to the woman and received a sharp smack to the back of the head for her trouble.

"Of course. Kaien Kurosaki. That boy's going to be a handful, I can tell already." The one armed woman laughed.

"Where's Ganju? We wanted him to know about this from the start too." Ichigo looked around.

"The idiot is on his way to the Fourth Division to suggest that you name him Kaien!"


	5. Toushiro x Karin

Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya could feel his Third Seat's spiritual pressure like a bonfire coming from the next room. It was more than enough to drive him from his bed with a silent growl. He would have to teach her to suppress that before he took her on any missions where she didn't completely outclass their opponents. Then again, at the rate she was learning, he would have to launch an assault on Hueco Mundo to find anything that she could not handle with brute force.

As he neared the door, he could hear his lieutenant talking. He briefly considered trying to go back to his nap, or immediately walking in and interrupting them, but settled on crushing his spiritual pressure and leaning his ear to the door.

_Yachiru, you were a bad influence on me..._ He smiled sadly at the thought and focused on what they were saying.

"You aren't doing anything wrong. It's just terrifying to him." His Lieutenant's words made him flinch. He was more convinced than before he didn't want to hear this.

"Why? He's been a captain for longer than I have been alive... How can a date scare him?" Karin's voice was sad but carried a certain amount of fury.

"Because he is afraid that the girls he likes all suffer. Momo was broken by Aizen. It is a miracle she ever recovered, and she has never been quite the same again. And just when he was coming to terms with the fact she would never look at him the same way again, he got close to Yachiru. She died in less than a year." Toushiro closed his eyes and tried not tho think about the pink haired girl. His Lieutenant was right. He was bad luck.

"I didn't know about Yachiru... I only met her once or twice... I came to the celebration at the end of the war. She was the Lieutenant of the Eleventh, right?" Karin's voice again. It seemed silly that anyone could _not_ know Yachiru Kusajishi.

"That's right. She was the adopted daughter of the Kenpachi of Zaraki, the captain of the Eleventh before Ikkaku. I'm sure you remember him." Rangiku's voice was lighthearted and he could only imagine the expression on Karin's face. If Yachiru was unforgettable, there were no words to describe the monster that had been Captain Zaraki.

"He must know that neither of those were his fault... He's brilliant. He can't possibly be that stupid when he is that smart." He could swear he heard the black haired girl growl like a wild animal. Rangiku's laughter could have been at the words or the growl, he couldn't tell.

"You'd think so, but he's not as mature as he would like others to think he is. He is a genius. He is powerful. He is a wise leader and a good captain. But he's still just a teenager, really. And he made himself grow up too fast. He was so busy learning the lessons of an adult that he forgot to learn the lessons of a child. But he will learn. You'll just have to be patient with him."

Toushiro smirked at that. He forgot sometimes that his Lieutenant was a deceptively observant and clever woman. Was it true? Had he missed some things when he set his sights on the Captain's seat? He couldn't deny, Yachiru had shown him a lot of joys he had missed out on, but had he learned anything from them?

"I waited eighteen years just to become a part of his division... How patient do I have to be?" Karin sounded like she was close to tears now. He sighed, straightened his haori, and brushed through the door like a ghost.

"I think you've been patient enough. Friday, as soon as the paperwork is finished." He smirked and gave his Lieutenant a single grateful glance as he made his way past the desk where Karin was working. She knew exactly what he needed to hear.

\- Line -

"Ice cream and ice skating... I should have guessed." Karin nudged the white haired man teasingly as they slid around the frozen pool. "Hey, Shiro?"

"Hm?" It took an embarrassing amount of his will power to suppress the urge to demand she use his proper name and title. If he were going to try this, he was going to do it right.

"Rangiku... She told me about Yachiru... I'm sorry. I didn't know anything bad had happened here after the war. I guess I forgot that the world is still a dangerous place, and soldiers still die..."

"It's alright, Kurosaki." He winced as she drove her fist into his shoulder. "Karin... Sorry..."

"You better be. There are more Kurosaki's than I can count now, so you're going to have to get used to using my first name or my rank, and if you call me 'Third Seat Kurosaki' while we're on a date, you are going swimming."

"I'll keep that in mind." Toushiro smiled and tugged her hand, shooting across the ice to a cluster of trees. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" Karin rushed to keep up so her hand wouldn't pull away from his.

"You'll see." The white haired captain helped her up onto the bank, then melted the skates off their shoes. "Leave your shoes here to dry, the ground is pretty soft." He kicked off his own and then, much to Karin's surprised, tugged his captain's haori over his head and folded it neatly over a branch, leading the way into the trees.

Karin followed in silence, feeling the grass and sand of the lake's shore rapidly transition into moss and years of powdered leaves. She smiled and bounced carefully on the spongy ground. It felt like walking on cake. Toushiro led her through ever thicker trees until they suddenly opened up into a small clearing. There were book shelves leaned against a couple of trees, and two simple hammocks stretched between a few of the larger trees.

"Yachiru made this place when she first came to the Gotei 13, and spent years collecting stuff. When we started getting close, she brought me here, and I started helping her fill her shelves. Nothing valuable, just little bits and pieces from around the Seireitei. After she died, I kept coming here and kept adding to her collection. I guess it is my collection now... Here. Take a look." Toushiro walked to one of the shelves.

"This is... Really cool!" Karin looked over the shelves of stuff and smiled. "Is that one of Rangiku's empty sake bottles?"

"Mhm. Yachiru had them organized by what the things were, so one whole shelf looked like a liquor store. I rearranged everything by division instead." He picked up a small blue elastic band. "I think you'll recognize this."

"That's mine!"

"Yeah... You weren't suitably represented here, so I had to find something distinctly yours that you wouldn't really miss."

"Do you have anything of Ichigo's here?" Karin look two shelves to the left.

"Not yet. I just finished moving Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Ise's stuff to the First Division shelf. Any suggestions?"

"I'll get something next time I see him." Karin smiled and sat on one of the hammocks. "This is a really amazing hide away... Thank you for sharing it with me."

"I trust you. You are important to me. With Momo, all I ever did was try to protect her from a distance and wait for her to see me as more than just a child and friend. With Yachiru... Well, she kind of didn't give me much of a choice on being her friend, and then I used her as a separation from my duties as captain. If we are going to try this, I want to do it right this time. That means sharing all sides of myself with you."

"That sounds good to me. But you know, I come as a package deal with my family. Ichigo and my dad will find out soon, and you can't avoid two other captains indefinitely." Karin blushed as the white haired man sat next to her. "I can't believe we're still the same height... How did you keep up with me while I was aging at a human rate? I thought you'd be young for decades."

"When I was turned into a zombie by the Sternritter Z, it ended up draining nearly all of my spiritual pressure, and it took a long time for me to be back up to full power. For a shinigami, or any plus, aging is a function of spiritual pressure and age. I was young and had lost most of my power, so I ended up aging at a faster rate for a while. I'm mostly back to normal, but I may end up looking a year or two older than you before I settle back to my natural rhythm."

"So I'll be dating an older man? Cool." Karin leaned into his shoulder and smiled. "I always expect you to feel as cold as you did when you were recovering, but you are as warm as anyone else..."

"I'm sorry you saw me like that. I have nightmares about it, and I was barely conscious for most of it." He wrapped one arm around her waist and then fell back onto the mesh, looking up at the canopy of leaves. "It is getting late."

"Do you think Rangiku would tease you any more if we stayed out all night than if we came home at sunset?" Karin closed her eyes and tried to feel her captain's heartbeat with her fingertips. "I could definitely stay like this all night..."

"Your brother will kill me if we sleep together, even in the most appropriate possible way."

"Awww, don't worry, I'll protect you."

"I will hold you to that, Karin." Toushiro pulled her closer and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Maybe we can sneak in before noon and Rangiku will still be asleep..."

"Good plan, Captain."


	6. Shuhei x Rangiku

"_So, you have a thing for Ran-chan, huh?" The voice was smooth and soft. Shuhei spun around, searching for the source of the voice, stumbing back when he came face to face with a tall, thin, silver haired man._

"_Ichimaru!" Shuhei was reaching for his sword before he even recalled that the man was dead. His Zanpakuto was not at his side. Much to his relief, he realized neither was the other man's. "Am I dreaming?"_

"_Sorta." Gin shrugged leaning against a tree. "You didn't answer me. Do ya like Rangiku?"_

"_I... I do." The black haired man swallowed, taking a step back. "So, the rumors that the two of you were together were true?"_

"_Yeah." Gin nodded and lowered his gaze to the ground. "But she deserved better."_

"_You left her. She thought you had betrayed her. Do you have any idea how many nights she would get so drunk with us that she forgot she was trying to hide it and cried?" _

"_I know... And it was all for nothin' in the end. I failed. All the pain I put her through, and I didn't even accomplish what I set out for. Aizen wasn't fooled for a second..."_

"_You really were trying to bring him down?"_

"_Since Ran-chan and I were children in the Rukongai. More than century of plottin' and schemin' and I was so sure I had him!" Gin snarled, eyes flashing open as he suddenly went rigid, turning and kicking the tree violently. "I had him!"_

"_What happened to make you hate him so much that you would leave Rangiku's side for just the chance of defeating him?"_

"_Defeat him? I wanted to destroy him. His goons attacked Ran-chan and stole a piece of her soul when I wasn't there for her! He fed a piece of her to the Hogyoku!" Gin clenched his fists, then sighed and let his arms fall limp, leaning his head against the tree. "Rangiku woulda been so much happier if I had just stayed by her side... We coulda lived out our lives in the Rukongai and I coulda kept her smilin' every day instead of seekin' vengeance..."_

"_I would have gone after him too..."_

"_Don't say that. I want ya to promise me one thing. Make her smile again. That's all I ever really wanted..." Gin cracked his eyes and stared at the other man. "Protect her. Make her smile. She likes ya. I know, I've been watchin'. You've got my blessin', as long as ya make her happy."_

"_I... I'll do my best. Her smile is enough to make the whole Seireitei a little brighter. If that was what you were fighting for... I think I can see why you did what you did."_

"_I'm glad she's got a friend like you. Oh, congrats on the promotion, Captain. Muguruma says he's proud of ya." Gin grinned and waved as he turned and began walking away into the trees. "Bye bye."_

"_Wait! Captain Muguruma is here?!" Shuhei started to run after the silver haired man, but he was already gone._

"Captain! You have a mission in the living world today, remember?" Lieutenant Kuna's voice jerked Shuhei out of his dream.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He sat up and sat for a moment, looking at his Zanpakuto leaned against the wall where his idol and father figure's once had. "So, Captain, are you really proud of me?"

"Stop talking to yourself and get up! Captain Hitsugaya isn't going to wait all day!"

Shuhei immediately leaped to his feet. He had forgotten. He had requested that Rangiku join him on this mission. Was that why he had that dream? He shook his head and tossed on his haori, stepping out of his room and nearly tripping over his Lieutenant.

"Mashiro, don't you have paperwork you could be doing? That's why I am taking someone elses Lieutenant, remember? So that one of us is here?"

"Awww, you're no fun!" Mashiro aimed a kick at his head, which he carefully caught and redirected toward the ground. "You keep getting better!"

"Go. Do. Your. Paperwork!" Shuhei rolled his eyes and walked past her and out of the division, toward the Tenth where Rangiku was probably still sleeping. He wondered about his dream, and how odd it had felt.

_Even if it wasn't real... You still want to make her smile, right?_

Maybe if they finished their mission early, he could take her shopping or something. That always made her smile.


End file.
